More than 80 people were killed and thousands were rendered homeless in the coastal regions of West Bengal and Odisha in India and that of Bangladesh when cyclone Amphan ravaged through these areas on May 20. As the cyclone pummeled through Bengal, Kolkata and several other low-lying areas were badly affected.
Thousands of trees were uprooted, houses were washed away, buildings collapsed and an entire state was plunged into darkness.
It has been 6 days since the storm, and Bengal is gradually limping back to normalcy, thanks to the many samaritans who decided to pool in resources and jump in to help the people who are now looking at a bleak future-- with a pandemic coupled with a cyclone.
As news reports of "Bengal being destroyed" flooded social media, some, who were fortunate enough to have a roof over their heads, decided to come forth and do their bit for those worst hit by the cyclone. Countless NGOs were already on the ground, trying to help survivors get their lives back on track and help them out financially. And that requires funds, exposure and a robust communication strategy which most grassroots organisations lack.
That is why Sulagna Datta and Aditi Chatterjee, two professionals working in the development sector, decided to start an initiative, "Brick-by-Brick: Rebuilding Bengal after Amphan". They are working with their team at a developmental consulting organisation, Sattva, to maximise reach for these NGOs.
Both Datta and Chatterjee are from Bengal originally but are currently based in Bengaluru and Delhi respectively. Soon after the storm, while checking up on their loved ones back home, they realised that several people were wondering how to donate to NGOs and if these NGOs were even "legit."
Datta says that after the storm, several NGOs reached out to the two of them which inspired them to start the initiative in the first place. "The three districts that were worst hit were South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur. So we got hold of one NGO from each district. The damage is quite bad, 60% houses don't even exist anymore," said Datta.
"A number of migrant workers had just come back in the last 10-odd days before the cyclone, and had been quarantined in makeshift areas. All of those got damaged during the cyclone, and they had to go back to their families who had lost houses and possessions," added Chatterjee.
Both food and drinking water are scarce. "Food is scarce, dangerously impacting nutrition of the people. Some families ran with their ration when the storm came and saved it, some lost their food stock to the storm. Those who have something left are rationing and eating a meal a day," Chatterjee said.
According to them, each district is unique in terms of livelihood and needs. For example, Datta explains, Purba Medinipur is mainly composed of fishermen while in other areas, most of the people are either farmers or daily wage labourers. In each district, the NGOs are working to cater to individual needs of diverse communities.
"For instance, for one of the NGOs in Purba Medinipur, one of there absolute immediate concerns is drinking water. Since electricity was initially out, the pumps were not working, so they coordinated to get the submersible pumps working in the area so that people could start to get water, since most water sources have become saline," said Chatterjee.
READ: Seen the Horrific Photos of Bengal's Destruction in Cyclone Amphan? This is How You Can Help
The three NGOs selected by Datta and Chatterjee are - Kajla Janakalyan Samity (KJKS) for Amphan Relief in Purba Medinipur which works with the rural communities in the area for education, disaster relief, women's health and so on, Samaj Unnayan Kendra (SUK) for Amphan Relief in South 24 Parganas which has been working towards improved economic development since 1975 and Dhagagia Social Welfare Society (DSWS) for Amphan Relief in North 24 Parganas, which has been focused on rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods of people affected by the cyclone since Day 1.
All the NGOs have been vetted by Chatterjee and Datta and as of now, they're working towards raising cash funds. Datta says that their initiative has been able to raise 9 lakhs in the last two days. Their aim is to raise 45 lakhs in the upcoming days and to ensure that each NGO gets 15 lakhs each.
West Bengal has suffered damages worth more than 13 billion US Dollars, as per an estimate provided by the state government.
The two have also shared details on a website. "The storm had washed away not just their homes, but their livelihoods too. All this was, of course, on top of the hardships that these communities had already been going through because of the Covid-19 lockdown and the crisis of migrant workers, who had been spread out in all parts of the country, and were returning home after months."
If you've been feeling restless after seeing the photos of the devastation caused by Amphan and have been looking for ways to contribute in a manner that'll really make a difference, then you can either reach out to Sulagna Datta or Aditi Chatterjee or visit this website for more details.
You can contribute to other places as well, we made a list here.
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